Running during peri-menopause

Hello All, I am new here. I started running last year March. All went well till Sept '12 when my much relied upon menstrual cycle went haywire. Prolonged & heavy periods have been wreaking havoc with my running enthusiasm ! I have done the necessary tests and the gynae gave me some options (one of which was surgery). He did start me on hormon treatment and that didn't work either.

The latest episode was from last month (July) until few days ago and out of sheer frustration I went to a GP who suggested try going on OCP. One day after I started it my period has stopped - hallelujah! I am not sure how long this euphoria will last and I am so afraid to start running or exercising as it may trigger another long battle with the flow

Has anyone experienced this and how did you overcome this problem? Any advise, suggestion or remedy will be welcomed with open arms hahaha.

I never thought I could run until I signed up for a 5km last year and never looked back. So please help! oh btw, I am 49

Hi there. I'm 51 and still peri. Last year I had about 4 consecutive months of long, heavy periods and short cycles, every two weeks. By the time I got to see the gyno my cycle had gone back to a somewhat normal schedule and the extra heavy bleeding was gone. As my cycle had "normalized" no meds were prescribed. I ran throughout and did not find that running had any impact on the situation. I have now gone about 12 months with "fairly regularly spaced" (within a range) cycles and light periods.

During perimenopause most women experience a range of different changes with change in fact, being the one and only constant - very frustrating! What you are experiencing right now may be completely different in a month or two.

My opinion is just keep running through whatever mother nature throws at you! You'll feel better for it

Well the problem got worse since I posted last. As a last measure I was given a lupron shot end of Sept. The days that followed my condition worsened and the doc scheduled me for a hysterectomy the following week. But by god's grace, the symptoms vanished over the weekend and now its the 3rd week and its all going well. 2nd shot will be end of Oct.

I am praying and keeping fingers crossed the worst is over.

Have not started my running or exercising yet as the fear I may start bleeding all over is pretty much there.

Exercise and running is one of nature's best hormone regulators. It is very good for people with hormonal imbalances. You mentioned lupron shots, however, and those shots have a lot of side effects so even if you did start the bleeding pattern again after taking running back up I would say it is more attributed to those shots and the hormonal balance rather than the actual running itself. I have endometrisos (lupron shots were also suggested to me, but I wasn't comfortable with the side effects listed) and running is the best thing in the world for me in regards to trying to keep my hormones on track and estrogen levels managed to prevent the pain from the endo.

Thanks cool and GT, although I don't face the OP's issues, I do struggle with hormonal balance. In my case it's weight gain and stress issues. I was fine until menopause, and actually menopause wasn't rough for me. However, it IS great to see encouragement that running and regular exercise help with managing hormones. I just saw some findings that intense exercise can raise cortisol levels for women, and so I'm trying to be careful to get enough, but not too much strenuous workout time. I think interval training is gonna be a biggie for me (and maybe that would help for the OP too, since interval training involves shorter durations?)

Sometimes, you do kind of wish that everyone weren't so very different, huh?

Thanks cool and GT, although I don't face the OP's issues, I do struggle with hormonal balance. In my case it's weight gain and stress issues. I was fine until menopause, and actually menopause wasn't rough for me. However, it IS great to see encouragement that running and regular exercise help with managing hormones. I just saw some findings that intense exercise can raise cortisol levels for women, and so I'm trying to be careful to get enough, but not too much strenuous workout time. I think interval training is gonna be a biggie for me (and maybe that would help for the OP too, since interval training involves shorter durations?)

Sometimes, you do kind of wish that everyone weren't so very different, huh?

You are correct in that intense exercise (regular exercise over 60 minutes at a time) can in fact increase cortisol. For me, I typically do 60 minutes when I run or work out, and my body is used to it which means I doubt I am releasing much cortisol in response to it. I should have put that caveat in my initial post about the length and intensity of training/exercise because yes, very vigorous exercise could negate the positive hormonal regulatory effects that typically come from moderate intensity.

It truly is a fine line, particularly for us women who already have hormonal shifts due to endometriosis, or perimenopause, menopause, etc. For me, I have seen nothing but benefit from running but then again I do not typically run for more than 60 minutes at a time regularly, and am not training for any marathons or halfs. Everyone has to listen to their own body after exercising and we do have to approach it in moderation if we want to get the good benefits from running and not get into excess cortisol production. The OP sounded like she is a moderate runner since she just recently started 5k's and is likely in the 60 minute or less running at a time mode. The body's glycogen stores can begin to decrease a great deal after 60 minutes which will stress the body, and increase cortisol production. I would say consult your doctor on this, but I have found in my experience that doctors I have discussed this with really have no clue as this isn't really their speciality. Even a sports medicine doc I consulted seemed a bit 'deer in headlights" when I discussed this topic. Maybe an endocrinologist will know more (can't say I have positive experience there though, I went to one and didn't get much help but admittedly didn't go to another for more opnions). Not trying to negate doctors but sometimes you have to do your own research as they don't seem to always have the answers we need in the area of exercise and the effects on our bodies.